I had forgotten about this little jaunt until I read this post of Sherri’s for those of you who are yet to discover this gem of a blog, then I urge you to go there and get immersed in her wonderful style of memoir…
A while back, I went pottering through a graveyard, it was an unhurried type journey as such things always should be. I found myself reflecting on many a thing in the peaceful confines of its borders, aimlessly plodding around the circuitous path which I liked to think was some subtle nod to rebirth but perhaps I overanalyse things too much.
It was around half past five in the PM when I discovered this peaceful place which has been around since the 1830’s and this being England and Autumn, there was a fine drizzle in the air. I think part of me was drawn to this place by the ending of my day out and also that melancholy feel that affects the single traveller with time on his hands.
It is strange to feel moved by the resting places of so many unknown people, the idea of lives lived, dramas finished, heartache and happiness played out to a natural conclusion is something that the living need to assimilate and enjoy what we have in the now. I always take delight in the juxtaposition of places and the graveyard is near Nottingham Trent University, where vitality and exuberance flows past the gates every day, something cheers me about that.
Then of course there is the life in the graveyard, plenty of squirrels running around having fun doing acrobatics, unaware of the regard in which their playground is held. Â If I wasn’t being sentimental enough, I even gave a nod to various gravestones as I passed, it is strange what we do when alone.
The enduring thoughts on these places really do bring out the romantic in writers, I find, perhaps it is our thoughts of mortality that drive us to bring something vital to such places or maybe it is just the innate need to quantify the unknown and kid ourselves into thinking that we can truly understand.
Book to the Future 
I like a good cemetery stroll myself! Looks like some zombies might have escaped?
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Now that is an inventive reason! I would encourage everybody to stroll around these places but I don’t want to come across too many people in my traverses through peaceful places.
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Certainly looks like someone swung a tree a and dropped it in that last photo.
Reading some of the headstones can be very moving, especially when you see how old they were, and think about how they would have lived.
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It is especially poignant sometimes, seeing how young people died or husband and wife who had a happy life for years buried together. It is something that actually gets me interested in local history and living here, there is not a lot to inspire research into this place.
It does look like something out of a film has occurred, it just added to the enigmatic nature of the place though and that is always a good thing.
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Oh thank you so much for linking to my post Ste. It is strange isn’t it the things we do when we are alone. Nodding as you did, acknowledging those gone before…even as you observed all those naughty squirrels in their playground (which I adore btw). As for that last photo, what on earth? I’ve never seen anything like it. An old tree dug up? Vandals? Looks quite threatening doesn’t it?
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It was enjoying your post that spurred me on to finish this post, I had it in mind since I had my trip out to Nottingham which was about three weeks ago now so it was high time that I finished it. To be alone is to be the most inspired I think, even in a group I do like to pull back sometimes and get an idea for a post.
I am really unsure what happened with the last photo, there aren’t many trees around that part and nothing of that size so it is a mystery but it is yet another mystery that such a place gives us. I do like unexplained questions though.
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I think I’ve always felt at peace visiting graveyards. Some people, like my wife, avoid them at all cost. I’ve never gone to read in one, but I will soon give it a try.
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Welcome to the blog, I think the peace is conducive to allowing thoughts to wander which always enriches a book or whatever general views happen to cross your mind.
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Looks like a tree fell on the gravestones and either no one wanted to be bothered cleaning up the damage, or they felt it was not the type thing TO fix, like it was hallowed or something.
I know we must accept death, but I have so much trouble with it—we’re alive with our experiences and thoughts—and then there’s none. *sigh*
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The inevitable is always the most difficult to accept for its blatant there-ness. It is a strange anomaly for the tree to be left where it was, it was intriguing though and I am glad I got to take a shot of something so transient in a place that normally has such order.
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“There-ness.” Great word to describe that. It immediately brought to mind one of my favorite lines (and there are many!) from the recent movie “Lincoln.” Daniel Day Lewis was amazing in that, I think 🙂 And there’s a line he says I just love hearing: “Why is this thus? And what is the reason for this thusness?” 🙂
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I have heard that line before in a comedy show, I wonder where the line originally comes from, how interesting to come upon such a conundrum. I need to watch this film, I need to watch many films!
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Ste J, I love ALmost everything about this film. There a couple of scenes (especially the very first one) in which the content and dialogue are unrealistic and forced, but as a whole, I really enjoy it. And though I don’t know, I’m guessing the saying originated with the film and then some comedy show played on it.
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It is a good comedy show though, The League of Gentlemen is it’s name and it appeals to my off the wall sense of humour. You have whetted my appetite now, I am looking forward to watching it.
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As much as movies portray cemeteries as scary places – I always find them so peaceful.
Thanks for sharing your images & thoughts.
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Perhaps if you were there in the dead of night(!) then things would feel more filmish. One day out and I can still turn it into posts over a month after, I took tons of photos, yet only a few of the graveyard and fewer still that weren’t blurry. I put it down to the impending Chinese (meal that is) that was awaiting me.
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I used to live near a very old graveyard and loved the occasional afternoon walk through the trees and reading the headstones. The picture of the smashed headstones in this post reminded me of some graves I saw which had been “lifted from the ground” by tree roots over the last 100 years. I figured – never get buried too close to a tree.
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I had never considered roots in a graveyard and where they could wend their way. What we see is normally so much more fun than what we could see.
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I too love to wander through graveyards, wondering about the lives of those laid to rest. We did visit many a graveyard during our travels in the southeast last year, all supposedly haunted. I really wanted to visit at night but hubby would not accompany me and going it alone was a bit beyond my comfort factor.
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Night time strolls always sounds adventurous until faced with it on one’s own. The savannah of imagination always gets filled when looking at the resting places and conjuring stories of the past.
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Fascinated by head stones and mausoleums – as a teen, I actually would skip school every so often with a friend and we’d drive to our city’s oldest where the big money was buried (peeps not real $$). Walked through with dog not long ago and sad to see many of the mausoleums bricked up- we certainly found more than one campfire remains in an empty one ~
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That is an awesome pastime for a teenager in my opinion, it is a shame that mausoleums have been bricked up though, I quite liked a door as it conjured up a lot more scope for dramatic stories.
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